Here at Harthof-Kapelle you discover Bavaria’s oldest Catholic worship place. The Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady is also known as Alten Kapelle. It means Old Chapel in German.
Let’s delve into the history of this amazing place. Emperor Henry II founded the abbey in 1002. It was dedicated to the Virgin. But its story starts even earlier.
Charlemagne ordered a chapel to be built here. Legend says it was on the site of a Roman temple. This temple was dedicated to Juno. After the Western Roman Empire fell this chapel was built. It became Bavaria’s oldest. That is how it got the name “Alte Kappelle”.
The Alte Kapelle stands as a testament to faith. It shows architectural evolution over centuries. The basilica is a masterpiece of rococo decoration. It shows the style of the Wessobrunn School.
Bishop Rudolf Graber suggested an upgrade. In 1964 Pope Paul VI elevated the church. The Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Old Chapel became a minor basilica.
The Stiftskirche zur Alten Kapelle is its German name. It stands at Alten Kornmarkt in Regensburg. It is the main church of the oldest collegiate foundation in Bavaria. Many consider it Bavaria’s mother church. They believe Christianization started here. The church might stand on a former Roman Juno temple.
Its core structure dates back to the Ottonian period. Henry II and his wife Kunigunde founded the collegiate foundation in 1002. The elevated choir section came later. It is from the mid-15th century and shows late Gothic style. The interior showcases the rococo style. This is after a major redesign in the late 18th century.
Legend says a Palatinate chapel stood here. It belonged to the Agilolfinger dynasty. They resided in Regensburg from the 6th century. Bishop Rupert of Salzburg supposedly transformed a Roman Juno temple. He turned it into a Marian shrine. This became the Keimzelle der Alten Kapelle. A chronicler called it “chlain Altenchapelle zu Altenchapelle”.
Legend says Duke Theodo II was baptized here by Rupert. From here Christianization spread across Bavaria. This made the chronicler say the Alte Kapelle was “ein anvankch ist aller gotz hauser in Bayrn.” There is no historical or building evidence to support this. It remains a legend.
King Ludwig the German first mentioned the Alte Kapelle in 875. He ruled from Regensburg. He called himself the builder of the church. It honored Mary. He established a collegiate foundation. The church was a three-aisled basilica. Stones from Castra Regina’s Roman city walls were used. Parts of other Roman ruins were also used. Inscription stones from Roman tombs were among them. Roman square stones were found during renovations. Some are still visible on the west exterior wall.
Ludwig’s church may be the successor. It may have followed an older church from the 6th century. The church and foundation formed the royal court’s spiritual center.
Arnulf moved the royal palace. It went near St. Emmeram Monastery in 887. The collegiate foundation dissolved. The building complex was abandoned. In 967 a document mentions “antiqua capella” or “Alte Kapelle.” The church building was falling into disrepair.
King Henry II, later canonized, refounded the collegiate foundation. This happened shortly after taking office in 1002. From 1002 to 1004, the Alte Kapelle was rebuilt. The existing layout remained. “Matrem ecclesiam” means “mother church”. This term in the founding document shows the importance Henry placed on his Palatinate chapel. In 1009 he gave the collegiate foundation and church. He gifted them to the newly founded Diocese of Bamberg. The foundation remained there until secularization. The provost of the Alte Kapelle was usually a Bamberg canon. The Regensburg chapter managed itself under a dean.
The Regensburg city fires damaged the Stiftskirche. This happened in 1152 and 1176. The Carolingian cathedral also suffered. The westwork became unnecessary. It was demolished during reconstruction. The southern tower comes from this. It was raised three times in the 12th and 13th centuries. Several chapel additions were built. They went around the basilica during the High and Late Middle Ages. A charnel house or Karner was southeast of the church. Its basement is under today’s sacristy. It was found during renovations in 1993.
From 1441 to 1452 Hans Engel replaced the apse and Karner. They had become too small and dilapidated. He created an elevated late Gothic choir. This nearly matches the dimensions of the nave. The Gothic high choir and Ottonian basilica’s nave are visible today. Little remains of the 17th-century Baroque elements. These included a coffered ceiling and altars. The Gnadenkapelle’s stucco work survives.